Sharing, Caring, Helping, Protection and Cooperation by Mindfulness and Right Understanding.

10 March 2014

Schedule of Alms Round by ThaBarWa Sayadaw U Ottamasara and Sangha

Schedule of Alms Round by

ThaBarWa Sayadaw U Ottamasara

and Sangha

atWat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist
Temple

in Singapore

The daily alms-round and
the alms food collection observance is dated back to Lord Buddha's time as can
be seen from the Pindapataparisuddhi
Sutta (Sutta
151 of the Majjhima Nikaya - translated by Bhikkhu Nanamoli and Bhikkhu Bodhi)
and is continued to this day by the ordained Sangha (monks) in all Theravada
countries. Alms offering is a means of doing good
deeds and developing generosity by lay Buddhist. Indeed, the alms round provides the devotees with the opportunity to support to the Sangha and the monastery.It also said to
create a field of merit for all sentient beings, an opportunity to show the
true qualities of the heart. Freely giving from a generous heart loosens the
grip of selfishness. Both donor and recipient are enriched by this practice.

The alms
round also reminds monks that their practice is not just an individual matter
and that they depend on, and are indebted to, others for food and provisions. Food
collection and consumption is a duty of the Theravada Buddhist monk and this is
enshrined in the ordination procedure of the monk. As part of the ordination
procedure, every newly ordained Theravada Buddhist monk will be given the
following admonishment by his preceptor ... "Going-Forth has alms-food as
its support. For the rest of your life you are to endeavour at that".The alms bowl, a symbol of the monastic order, symbolizes dependence on others, all-acceptance and generosity.

During the alms round, as a group, monks walk single-file according to seniority, that is, ordination date. The robes are arranged formally, covering both shoulders. The monks walk barefooted into a street and then from house to house, not favoring rich or poor neighborhoods, accepting, but not requesting, what is freely donated (dana, offering). If you would like to make an offering, please approach one of the monks and place your donation (dana, offering)in the alms bowl. If your offering is too large to fit into the bowl, it can be symbolically placed there and then given to one of our lay volunteers who helps with this ceremony. When making a donation (dana) during the alms round,
donors may ask that the merit from their offering benefit a friend or relative,
as well as sentient beings caught in distressing conditions or difficult
situations. Giving (dana, donation) is
one of the essential preliminary steps of Buddhist practice. When practiced in
itself, it is a basis of merit or wholesome kamma. When coupled with
morality, concentration and insight, it leads ultimately to liberation from samsara, the
cycle of repeated existence.

Lord Buddha said that
the practice of giving (dana, donation)
will aid us in our efforts to purify the mind. Dana accompanied by
wholesome volition help to eradicate suffering in three ways.

First, when we
decide to give something of our own to someone else, we simultaneously reduce
our attachment to the object; to make a habit of giving can thus gradually
weaken the mental factor of craving, one of the main causes of unhappiness.

Second, giving accompanied by wholesome volition will lead to happy future
births in circumstances favorable to encountering and practicing the pure Buddha
Dhamma.

Third, and most important, when giving is practiced with the intention
that the mind becomes pliant enough for the attainment of Nibbana, the act of
generosity will help us develop virtue, concentration and wisdom (sila,samadhi, pañña) right
in the present.

These three stages make up the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path,
and perfecting the path leads to the extinction of suffering.

The purity of the
recipient is another factor which helps determine the kammic fruitfulness of a dana.
The worthier the receiver, the greater the benefits that will come to the donor. Therefore, to earn the maximum merit, we
should give as much as we can, and as often as possible, to the noble ones.
Gifts to a Sangha and bhikkhu who strives for the state of a noble one, or to a
Buddhist yogi (meditator) who lives by the Five Precepts, will also yield
bountiful results.

Generosity associated with wisdom before, during and after the act is the highest type of dana. The most excellent motive for giving is the intention that it strengthens ones efforts to attainNibbana. Liberation is achieved by eliminating all the mental defilements (kilesa), which are rooted in the delusion of a controlling and lasting "I."

Once this illusion is eradicated, selfish thoughts can no longer arise. If we aspire to ultimate peace and purity by practicing dana or doing good deeds, we will be developing the dana parami, the perfection of giving, building up a store of merit that will bear its full fruit with our attainment of enlightenment.

As we progress towards that goal, the volition involved in acts of doing good deeds or dana will assist us by contributing towards the pliancy of the mind, an essential asset in developing concentration and wisdom, the prime requisites of liberation.

We are very grateful to be able to carry on this Theravada Buddhist tradition in Singapore. We are indebted to the Ajans (abbots), officials and the volunteers of Wat Ananda Metyarama Thai Buddhist Temple for allowing us to practice the ancient way of Lord Buddha at the temple premises. We will be doing alms round, with no expectations, as per following
schedule .....

Daily activities to participate ….

ThaBarWa Centre or ThaBarWa Yeiktha is an ideal place for learning and practicing meditation as well as for helping others who have physical and mental limitations and difficulties.

Our center takes care of everybody, regardless of age, race and religion, who cannot support themselves and survive on their own due to various reasons and at the same time teaching them how to meditate and purify their mind.

The population of our centre is more than 2,500. By staying at our centre, you will have plenty of chances to experience and participate in the following activities …

1. Following the monks in their daily alms rounds and helping in distributing the alms food to infirm, old folks and meditators.

2. Taking care of and assisting infirm or old folks with their chores.

3. Visiting branches of ThaBarWa Centres (across Myanmar).

4. Learning Burmese culture and the people.

5. Attending insight meditation session and classes.

6. Helping in the kitchen, cooking and distributing food.

7. Helping in the health care, in the clinics and wards.

8. Helping in the library.

9. Assisting Venerable with management, IT and technology.

10. Visiting the mercy villages which were established (by ThaBarWa) for homeless and needy families and individuals.

11. Sharing your language, IT and technology knowledge and expertise with adults and Children of our centre.

Sayadaw Ashin Ottamasara

Please click the photo to visit Sayadaw's facebook

Biography

Sayadaw Ashin Uttamasara was born in Katha, Sagaing Division, Myanmar on Sunday 26th October 1969.

Since his youth he placed full value on education. He passed Matriculation in 1986 with flying colors. After completing a B.A (English, Honors) from the University of Yangon in 1992, he became a young entrepreneur and successful businessman within a short period of time.

Faced with difficulties and frustrations in running a complex business for 7 years, he sought refuge in the Dhamma in 1999. With the help of a Dhamma friend, he entered the Mogok Meditation Centre at Insein Monastery for a five-day meditation retreat, becoming initiated in Dhamma contemplation and practice.

From February 1999 to January 2002 he deeply concentrated on meditation. He became so devoted to Dhamma that he was able to reduce his business calmly, without much attachment.

For the propagation of Dhamma he donated all the assets he had accumulated during 6 years of entrepreneurship. He then concentrated on charity, morality and insight contemplation to find the perfect Truth.

In 2002, he was ordained in Yangon by Sayadaw U Nayyasagara and started to teach Vipassana Insight Meditation.

Today, Sayadaw teaches Dhamma and Guided Vipassana Insight Meditation in various institutions, schools, hospitals and individual residences in Myanmar and other countries.

Sayadaw remains a well-known name throughout the shores of Myanmar and beyond.

Thabarwa is a place for everyone!!

Thabarwa Center is a non-profit humanitarian organization working for a noble cause.

We provide a home sweet home for everybody (both for locals and foreigners alike), unconditionally.

We open 24 hours a day, seven days a week without recess.

The activities of Sayadaw Ashin Uttamasara and Thabarwa Center are wide and various, serving the spiritual and physical needs of thousands from far and near.

More and more visitors from all over Myanmar and abroad are coming daily to visit, learn meditation and volunteer their skills and time in caring for those taking refuge at Thabarwa Center.

Good deeds at Thabarwa

• Providing refuge not only for meditators but also for the old aged, homeless, orphans, loners, infirm and the people with physical and mental difficulties.

• Currently more than 2,500 people (as of October 2015) taking refuge at our centre.

• Providing health care, food, clothing, shelter, clean water for cooking and drinking, etc. and offering aids and support for free of charge.

• Solving day to day problems of centre residents, meditators, volunteers and visitors.

• Communicating and cooperating with volunteers, charities, non-profit organizations and philanthropists from Myanmar and abroad.

• Conducting daily Vipassana Insight Meditation and Dhamma Talks.

• Conducting retreats in the traditions of renowned vipassana meditation masters. All the meditation methods are being utilized without attachment to any particular method.